It's going to be awhile before the permanent smile leaves Colleen Point's face.

The mother of Colton Point, one of the goalies on Canada's National Junior team, spoke to The Nugget Saturday morning before heading to Colgate University to watch her son play NCAA hockey.

(Despite lack of sleep, the Dallas Stars prospect made 37 saves to record a 4-0 shutout over Princeton.)

Point and her husband, Gary, were sitting three rows from the ice watching the gold medal game Friday against Sweden. Canada won 3-1.

“Thank goodness we got that second goal,” she said.

“These Canadian players were there to win. They really wanted to redeem themselves from last year. They wanted nothing else but that gold medal.”

The Canadian team lost last year in the gold medal game in a shootout against the United States.

Point said one of the most memorable moments in Friday's game was watching the Team Canada players “belt out the words to the national anthem.

“They're a group of classy men,” she said. “And they couldn't wait to share that moment with their families and friends. When that game was over those boys had the biggest smiles. They were soaking it all in.”

Point said she's so proud of not just her son, but all the players and their families.

“The Canadian crowd was amazing. There were certainly a lot of die-hard fans cheering,” she said, adding the support was felt from across the country especially from friends and family in North Bay who made the trip to Buffalo to share in the experience and excitement.

“I've always said North Bay has been an amazing community. So many people are invested in hockey and when one of our own like Danika Ranger or Ken Appleby, does well, they're there to cheer them on.”

Point, a 5th round draft pick for the Dallas Stars in 2016, was between the pipes when Canada shut out Slovakia 6-0.

Point said there isn't much time between team selection and the tournament to bond and practise as a team.

“The first camp was in the spring, however Colton didn't get invited, actually he got invited to the U.S. camp,” she said.

“There was another camp in the summer and then the players are watched all season. Colton had a super hot start and then the final selection camp was held in December.”

Point said there were four or five returning players who filled the roster.

“Dominique Ducharme did a super job,” she said. “Coaches were responsible for helping players maintain their focus. They confiscated their phones and planned off-ice activities. There's so many layers to this experience. It's been amazing.”